EMPLOYEE WELLBEING RESOURCES

Health @ Work Summit 2010
8^th & 9^th June 2010
The 5^th annual Health @ Work Summit 2010 brings together best practice case studies from award winning field leaders demonstrating how you can cost effectively increase employee wellbeing in your organisation.
Symposium Events: 020 7231 5100 | www.symposium-events.co.uk

Employee Wellbeing Forum 2010
14^th October 2010
The 6^th annual Employee Wellbeing Forum 2010 will offer both HR and OH professionals an invaluable insight into how a variety of high profile organizations are promoting employee wellbeing.
Symposium Events: 020 7231 5100 | www.symposium-events.co.uk

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What is On Site Chair Massage & Office Massage?
On Site Chair Massage is a fully clothed massage while seated in a specially designed chair. The massage practitioner focuses on your neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands. On Site Chair Massage can be adapted for 10, 15, 20 or 30 minute sessions and leaves the employee feeling energised.

What equipment is used for On Site Chair Massage?
The only equipment required is a specially designed chair, this is always provided by energiseYou. No oils are used for the massage.

What does the massage feel like?
The practitioner uses acupressure techniques which involves applying pressure with their hands or elbows at specific pressure points on the back, shoulders, head, neck and arms. The pressure realigns energy in the body. The amount of pressure applied depends on what the client wants. At the end of the massage the practitioner will use energising massage techniques which help energise the client. At the end of the massage the client is left feeling calm and relaxed, after 3-5 minutes they will then feel their energy levels increase with a refreshing energised feeling.

What qualifications do your massage practitioners have?
All energiseYou practitioners have completed a massage course including anatomy and physiology before completing an On Site Chair massage course at one of the UK’s leading chair massage schools. Most practitioners also have other massage qualifications such as Indian Head Massage, Shiatsu or Reflexology, leaving them with a wider range of massage skills and experience.

How long does the massage last?
Massages can be tailored to the client’s needs. We provide 10, 15, 20 and 30 minute massage slots.

What areas of the UK do you cover?
energiseYou covers the whole of the UK.

How much does it cost and how many practitioners can I have?
energiseYou On Site Chair Massage costs £1 per minute with the option of 10, 15, 20 or 30 minute sessions and you can book as many practitioners as you need. We will always tailor the service to our clients needs.

Is On Site Chair Massage Suitable for Everyone?
On site chair massage uses acupressure massage, which is safe for almost anyone except women who are pregnant or trying to conceive, however we are able to offer an alternative for clients who have pregnant employees, please ask the client service team or your employee wellbeing consultant for more information. Everyone is asked to complete a health screening form before receiving their first energiseYou massage to enable the practitioner to easily identify any areas of concern.

How much space does a practitioner need?
Each practitioner needs enough space for their chair and space to move around it, we generally allow a space of 2 x 1.60 metres.

Can I book massages for evenings or weekends?
Yes massages can be provided for any time and any event.

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How long does a workstation assessment last?
Workstation assessments last 20 minutes per employee. During this time the assessor will train the employee in the perfect posture at their workstation and adjust their furniture accordingly. They will also assess the way the employee works at their workstation and the way they interact with their immediate environment.
We can also provide a longer specialist assessment for employees who have suffered musculo-skeletal problems as a result of their workstation. Please speak to one of our employee wellbeing consultants for more information.

Which employees should receive a workstation assessment?
In order to comply with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 every employee who either works for continuous spells of one hour of more with display screen equipment or uses display screen equipment on a daily basis should receive a workstation assessment.

How often do I need a workstation assessment?
Each employee requires one workstation assessment at every company they work for. However if their job role and work routines/workstation changes significantly they should receive another assessment to ensure that they are still healthy at their workstation.

Some of our employees work from home, are you able to assess them?
Home workers should be assessed under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. We are able to visit home workers in their home if they are unable to be assessed at work.

How many people can be assessed in a day?
We can assess as many employees as required per day, each practitioner can assess up to 17 employees per day, clients can book as many practitioners as they need to cover their employees. We would recommend that assessments are available on more than one day to allow for employees who are absent or unavailable.

How long do we need to keep our Display Screen Equipment Workstation Assessment Documentation?
There is no legal requirement to keep DSE Workstation Assessment records for any particular length of time. However since workstation assessments are also part of employee training records HSE guidance states that “it is important to keep records of training” and that “you should monitor training records so that refresher training can be given when needed".

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What can we do for an employee wellbeing Event?
We have a number of options available for wellbeing events, any of our services can be booked as part of your employee wellbeing event. Please call one of our employee wellbeing consultants to discuss your needs so that we can tailor our services to your needs.

Can you help me organise my company's wellbeing event?
Yes, we are experts in employee wellbeing and can help you to plan what to do, how to do it and who to involve in your wellbeing event. One of our employee wellbeing consultants will also be able to attend the day to ensure that everything runs smoothly. All you need to do is turn up.

What could be included in an employee wellbeing event?

One of our employee wellbeing consultants would be happy to help you choose the best services for your company.

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What workshops are available?
We have a wide variety of workshops available to you, remember that we can tailor our individual workshops to meet your companies needs.

How many people can attend energiseYou workshops?
Our workshops are designed for 24 attendees, they are interactive and energetic therefore for employees to get the most out of them we recommend that no more than 24 people attend.

Why should I choose energiseYou workshops?
energiseYou are the leading experts in energy and performance for the UK’s best companies to work for. All our services are specifically designed to promote energy at work, increasing performance and motivation at work. We provide a wide range of employee wellbeing services tailored to your company's needs.

How long are the workshops?
All energiseYou workshops are 1 hour long. We may however be able to tailor the length of a workshop to meet your needs. Please speak to one of our employee wellbeing consultants to discuss what would suit your business.

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What does the health and safety audit cover?
The energiseYou Health & Safety Consultant will audit all areas of your business that are required under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. They will ensure that you are complying to the regulations in every area, making suggestions where required to increase compliance.

What happens if we are not doing enough to comply with health and safety regulations?
We will make recommendations as to what areas you need to improve. You can book further time with the consultant to guide you on what needs to be done to comply with the regulations.

How long will the health and safety audit take?
The audit normally takes a day. The exact timings required can be discussed with one of our employee wellbeing consultants.

What are the penalties for not complying with health and safety regulations?
The Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 came into force on Friday 16 January 2009. This new Act increases the penalties from £5,000 to £20,000 for not complying with health and safety legislation and provides courts with greater sentencing powers for those who break health and safety law.

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How many people can attend an energiseYou Yoga Class?
Space permitting we recommend that no more than 30 employees take part in a class to ensure that everyone gets the full attention of our instructors.

How long are energiseYou Yoga classes?
Our yoga classes are 1 hour long. This enables employees to take a break from their desks without being away from their desks for an extended period of time. We are able to provide longer yoga classes at the client’s request.

What level of experience do you need to be able to take this class?
The class is suitable for all abilities. All energiseYou yoga instructors provide variations on yoga positions to allow progression for all abilities in the class.

How often should we book energiseYou Yoga for our employees to see the benefit?
Regular yoga, weekly, bi monthly or monthly will all allow progression for employees. Increased flexibility strength and balance can be seen after 2-3 classes in most cases.

What is the best time of day to do Yoga?
Yoga can be practiced at any time of the day. Morning yoga will awaken the body, increase energy for the day ahead and increase flexibility after a night of inactivity. Lunchtime yoga will boost the midday slump in energy, increasing afternoon performance and energy. Evening yoga will help to relax employees after a stressful day, reliving them of built up tension from the day.

What sort of room do we need?
You will need a room big enough for each employee and the instructor to move about in a space approximately 2.5 m² (taking into account that the mats are rectangular not square). The room should be moderate in temperature and without excessive noise levels.

Will we need Yoga mats?
We recommend that clients booking regular classes have mats available for employees to enable a progression of poses and asanas. Mats are not necessary for those clients booking yoga as part of a wellbeing day or one off class. In these cases the yoga poses used will not require mats.

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Health and Safety Regulations are very long and can be very confusing to read and understand. Please take a look at our simplified summary below to see what your company’s responsibilities are under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002.

It is the responsibility of every company to comply with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (H&S DSE Regs). Failure to comply can result in penalties up to £20,000 under the Health and Safety Offences Act 2008.

energiseYou DSE Workstation Assessment Service

Why use energiseYou for your DSE Workstation Assessments?

• We are a low cost outsourcing option
• We provide Unique & Personalised 20 minute, 1-2-1 Workstation Assessments
• Our workstation assessments will ensure you comply with health & safety regulations
• Efficient & professional service
• Fully qualified assessors
• Additional stretches and information provided for employees
• We provide an easy to understand exception report for your company after the Assessments

Regulation 1 - Citation, commencement, interpretation and application
What is display screen equipment and what’s not?
In simple terms all modern day computers are included. This is defined under the regulations as: “any alphanumeric or graphic display process used” e.g. traditional cathode ray tube monitors, flat screen monitors, microfiche. Those items excluded are, Drivers cabs or control cabs for vehicles, DSE on transport, DSE for public operation only, calculators and cash registers, windows type writers.

What is a workstation?
For the purpose of the regulations a workstation exists wherever there is DSE in prolonged use. The workstation is defined as the assembly including the screen, keyboard and other parts of the computer, desk, chair and the immediate work environment.

Laptops used alone without peripheral equipment such as a separate keyboard and mouse do not comply with the H&S DSE Regulations.

Who is a display screen user and therefore requires a workstation assessment?
If employees fall into either or both of the following then they are considered a display screen user and require a workstation assessment.

Someone who has continuous spells of at least one hour or more using display screen equipment
Someone who uses display screen equipment on a daily basis

Application of the regulations

Home workers who fall into either of the points above are considered users and will require a workstation assessment.

Some people may be considered ‘operators’ rather than users, these include self employed people who work at an employer’s workstation and whose use of DSE is such that they would be a user if employed

Agency workers using DSE as per the points above will fall under the regulations and the responsibility of the host company, however the agency that employs them would be responsible for eye tests and general health and safety training.

Regulation 2 – Analysis of workstations to assess and reduce risks
Suitable Workstation Assessment processes
A suitable workstation assessment will first identify hazards and then evaluate risks and their extent.
The assessment should be completed by someone who has been trained in the requirements of the Health and Safety Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992. In addition it is advantageous for the assessor to have knowledge in anatomy and physiology.

The workstation assessment will highlight any areas that give reason for concern. Risks identified must be remedied as quickly as possible. Problems may include postural, visual fatigue & stress.

Regulation 3 – Requirements for Workstations
Below is a summary of the basic minimum requirements (but not exhaustive list) for all workstations within companies in the UK.

• Adequate lighting
• Minimal distracting noise
• Leg room and clearance for postural changes
• Window coverings as required
• Appropriate software
• Appropriate screen & keyboard
• Appropriate work surface, suitable for users needs
• Suitable chair adjusted to users’ needs

Regulation 4 – Daily work routines of users
Breaks and changes in activity should be planned into the users daily routine, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that their employees are able to take regular breaks and have their tasks planned in such a way to give variety throughout their working day.

Regulation 5 – Eyes and Eyesight
Employers are required to provide users who so request it, with an appropriate eye and eyesight test.

• Normal corrective appliances are glasses prescribed for general use, not purely for DSE work.
• Special corrective appliances are glasses prescribed purely for use during DSE work i.e. at the distance that an individual would view and work at a DSE Workstation. (Only 10% of DSE users will need special corrective appliances).

Therefore normal corrective appliances are at the user’s expense and special corrective appliances are at the employer’s expense

Regulation 6 – Provision of Training
Employers should ensure that all users (whether they make use of the employer’s workstations or are required to use other workstations) have been provided with adequate and suitable health and safety training, (in the form of a workstation assessment and training session). As with all training this should be recorded in training logs and/or DSE Workstation assessment documentation.

Specific Display Screen Equipment training should be specific to the tasks (software used) undertaken by the employee and be adapted to the user’s skills.

All health and safety training should be aimed at reducing or minimising musculoskeletal injuries, visual stress and stress or fatigue. Training will therefore include but not be limited to:

• Training in appropriate seated posture
• Training in correct adjustment of furniture and arrangement of items within the workstation
• Training in the need to take advantage of breaks and changes in activity

Regulation 7 – Provision of Information
It is the employer’s responsibility to provide employees with relevant levels of information on the following things:

• Risks from display screen equipment and workstations
• Workstation Assessments
• Breaks and work routines
• Eye and eyesight tests
• Initial workstation training
• Further training after workstation modification

The level of information required varies depending on whether the employee is a user or operator and whether they are self employed or employed by the company.

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The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, also referred to as HASAW or HSW, is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the United Kingdom. The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcing the Act and a number of other Acts and Statutory Instruments relevant to the working environment.

Managing health and safety is an important part of looking after your business. All employers are required by law to control health and safety risks.

Key points

1. Register your business - with the Health & Safety Executive or local authority depending on the type of business
2. Employers Liability Insurance – Take out insurance and display the certificate where employees and visitors can see it
3. Competent Person- Make sure that you have a competent person to help meet your health and safety duties
4. Health and Safety Policy- Decide how you are going to manage health and safety
5. Risk Assessments- Decide what could harm people and what precautions to take, act on the findings of the risk assessment putting sensible controls in place to prevent accidents and ill health
6. Provide basic welfare facilities such as toilets, washing facilities and drinking water
7. Provide free health and safety training for all employees
8. Consult employees on health and safety
9. Display the Health and Safety law poster or give employees a leaflet containing the information
10. Report necessary work related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences

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The Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 came into force on Friday 16 January 2009. This new Act increases the penalties from £5,000 to £20,000 for not complying with health and safety legislation and provides courts with greater sentencing powers for those who break health and safety law.

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Find out more about employee wellbeing
www.cipd.co.uk
www.bitc.org.uk

Find out more about Health & Safety and DSE Workstation Assessments
www.hse.gov.uk

To enter the Sunday Times Best Companies Competition
www.bestcompanies.co.uk

To enter the Financial Times Best Workplaces Competition
www.greatplacetowork.co.uk

For training on how to create a great workplace
www.happy.co.uk

Find out how you can qualify as a yoga Instructor
www.bwy.org.uk

Find out how you can qualify as a massage practitioner
www.essentialsforhealth.co.uk
www.touchpro.co.uk
www.aosm.co.uk

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It is widely accepted that elements of the workplace can cause injury and that symptoms of pain, stiffness and fatigue can be caused or exacerbated by working at a workstation with Display Screen Equipment (DSE).

Repetition is a common cause of injury. If an activity strains the body, even just a small amount, the build up of trauma over time can lead to a breakdown of tissue structure causing an injury.

Static postures such as sitting or standing for long periods also cause injury in the workplace these types of posture put increased loads or forces on the muscles and tendons, causing fatigue. Static postures impede essential blood flow needed to bring nutrients to the muscles and to carry away the waste products of muscle metabolism.

Hand & Wrist Injuries
Tenosynovitis
Inflammation of the lining of the synovial sheath of the tendons. This can occur in any muscle tendon in the body but is commonly seen in the hand and wrist in those who work with DSE. The synovial sheath should enable smooth movement of the tendons as the fingers are moved i.e. during typing.

Symptoms
Pain across the back of the hand, weakness in gripping and sometimes swelling over the back of the hand.

Causes
Repetitive movements or repeated gripping of objects. Those who have had a heavy blow to the top of the hand may have a higher likelihood of experiencing tenosynovitis.

Tendonitis in the wrist/hand
Tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon. Repetitive movements or stressful postures can lead to a weakness, tear or swelling of the tendon tissue.

Symptoms
Pain and stiffness near the point at which the tendon inserts into the base of the finger(s) on the back surface of the hand, the exact location depends on which tendons are affected.

Causes
Performing repetitive wrist or finger movements such as mouse overuse or poor typing posture.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Trapping of the nerve in the wrist. The carpal tunnel is the anatomical name for the space in the wrist where all the nerves, blood supply and tendons run from the forearm into the hand. Trapped Nerves in this area may be caused by tenosynovitis of one of the tendons in the tunnel. Those with an anatomically small tunnel or previous injury to the bones in the wrist, which has caused a change in the shape of the tunnel, are more susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome.

Symptoms
Pain and numbness/tingling in the hand and into the fingers (concentrating on the ring, middle and 1st finger), this is characteristically more problematic at night and can disturb sleep. Due to the numbness the hand may feel clumsy. There may also be radiating pain up the arm towards the elbow.

Causes
Postures where the wrist is not in line with the forearm, i.e. whilst looking at the arms from above whilst typing, there should be a straight line from the middle finger to the elbow. Poor keyboard technique often involves the hands deviating from this straight line at the wrists. There is a higher incidence of carpel tunnel syndrome in pregnant women.

De Quervain’s Disease
A form of stenosing tenovaginitis, (thickening of the tendon sheath) involving two of the tendons of the thumb as they pass over the wrist. The tendon sheath is exposed to friction due to the anatomy of the hand and wrist.

Symptoms
Pain over the wrist in line with the thumb often increasing with wrist or thumb movement. Pain also presents with the pinch grip posture or movements such as wringing out wet clothes.

Causes
It is caused by overuse of the tendon, e.g. overuse or poor technique when using the mouse or keyboard. This condition is more common in middle-aged females.

Shoulder & Elbow
Rotator cuff tendonitis
Tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon. Repetitive movements or stressful postures can lead to a weakness, tear or swelling of the tendon tissue. The rotator cuff is the name given to a group of muscles in the shoulder, their purpose is to stabilise and assist in shoulder movement.

Symptoms
Pain during overhead activities, pain at night and pain over the shoulder joint are all characteristic. If the injury is severe enough, it can cause extreme limitations in the range of motion in the shoulder, and cause weakness in the arm. Restriction of movement over time can cause a condition called Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder).

Causes
Postural strains during computer use causing an imbalance to the muscles around the shoulder. Adopting incorrect postures of the shoulder and arm will exert traumatic forces on the tendons of the rotator cuff muscle

Lateral Epicondylitis
This is another form of tendonitis, where there is inflammation or irritation of a tendon at the lateral epicondyle. The lateral epicondyle is the outside bony prominence of the elbow.

Symptoms
Pain and localised inflammation where some of the forearm tendons insert into the elbow, this is approximately 2cm below the outer edge of the elbow joint. There may also be tenderness when resisting the movement of the hand backwards.

Causes
This injury is also known as tennis elbow but is commonly caused by computer use. Elbow pain and tennis elbow in particular are caused by incorrect positioning of the computer mouse.

Back & Neck
Neck Pain / Neck Tension
Neck pain or neck tension is a broad term for a very common ailment in DSE Workstation users.

Symptoms
These can range from pain in particular part of the neck and into the shoulder to a feeling of fatigue, numbness or burning in the neck/upper back, tight shoulders and neck. Neck tension may also lead to headaches

Causes
Neck pain is caused by sustained awkward postures, static postures, repetitive movements and inadequate rest or breaks from DSE use. Static and awkward postures cause the muscles to contract for long periods of time preventing adequate blood and nerve supply through the muscle leading to pain, fatigue and sometimes a burning or tingling feeling.

Cervical Spondylosis
This is the result of abnormal wear on the vertebrae and vertebral discs in the neck, it is a degenerative condition.

Symptoms
Neck pain which may radiate to the arms or shoulders, loss of sensation in arms and shoulders and a weakness of the arms. The neck will stiffen as the condition worsens.

Causes
Previous trauma to the neck can predispose individuals to cervical spondylosis. It has been recognised that incorrect posture adapted by habit can cause abnormal wear and tear to the joints in the neck, typically a hunched forward position with the head held forward from a normal position.

Postural Thoracic Ache
This is the term some practitioners give to mid back ache, (from the large bump at the bottom of the neck to the bottom of the ribs.

Symptoms
Ache in the mid back region

Causes
Postural thoracic ache usually occurs when the back is held in an abnormal posture for too long e.g. sitting for long hours.

Lower Back Pain
Non-specific lower back pain is the term given to general pain in the lower back region (between bottom of the ribs and buttocks).

Symptoms
Since it is a general term and quite often the exact location of the pain is not always found, the symptoms vary between individuals. These may include a dull ache, stiffness and pain on movement after sitting for long periods of time. Pain from the back can also be referred down into the legs, (similarly the pain could radiate from other areas such as the mid back region or abdomen).

Causes
A major cause of general back pain/ache is sitting at a DSE Workstation, the main reason being that sitting in a static posture increases stress in the back and in particular the spinal discs. Poor sitting postures put additional stress on the muscles causing fatigue and reducing nerve and blood supply to tired muscles.

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If you would like to work with energiseYou as a massage practitioner please email: contactus@energiseyou.com. You will need to hold a chair massage qualification.

If you are not yet qualified in chair massage please see below for training schools

The Academy Of On Site Massage (AOSM)

Touch Pro Chair Massage Training

British School of Shiatsu-Do

Gateway Workshops